YRead winners: Teens weigh in on 'The Fault in Our Stars'

Cahoon

Local high-schoolers recently had the opportunity to participate in an essay contest sponsored by the One Book committee of Read To Succeed. The students explained in writing why John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars," the One Book for Rutherford County, is important to read.

Each year, the One Book committee chooses a book, encourages the community to read it and holds opportunities to discuss the book throughout the school year. "The Fault in Our Stars" tells the story of two teens with terminal cancer who meet, fall in love and live life to its fullest.

This year's events culminated in a party at Linebaugh Library Friday attended by about 250 people. Riverdale High School's Jazz Band entertained, and party-goers enjoyed a trivia contest, refreshments, games and opportunities to donate to Clinton's Club and Live4Tay, local organizations dedicated to raising awareness of childhood cancer.

The winners of the essay contest, McKynzie Perry, first place, and Claire Cahoon, second, agreed to share their essays with Daily News Journal readers.

McKynzie Perry 9th

Central Magnet

Mr. Barham

When diagnosed with a terminal disease, the patient does not fight for a lifetime, but for each individual day. Those supporting the patient understand this, but it does not lessen the pain when their loved one loses their daily battle. Many memoirs are written about these people, chronicling how strong and bittersweet their battles were; how all they wanted to do was help others and make the world a better place. The last page is most commonly devoted to a foundation in the patient's honor, which the reader should devote her or his financial resources to. Though these books are inspirational, one would be wrong in saying The Fault in OurStars is just a "my-fight-with-blank-disease" book. The characters are flawed, the book itself is refreshingly unique, and the themes will make one question the way she or he lives their life.

In memoirs, the characters are often seen through rose-colored glasses and do no wrong in the context of the narrative. The Fault in Our Stars is a fictional book, leaving room for the characters to be written even more unrealistically innocent and virtuous. Yet, John Green chose to make the characters imperfect, strengthening the bond between readers and the narrative. The main protagonist, Hazel Grace Lancaster, has been struggling with stage IV thyroid cancer for three years, and is only kept alive by her oxygen tank and her miracle drug, which had a low success rate for shrinking tumors. Instead of trying to leave the biggest mark she can, though, she wants to form as few relationships as possible, worrying her ineludible demise will shatter more lives than necessary. On the other end of the spectrum lies her romantic interest, Augustus Waters, who believes it's his job to sacrifice for the greater good, and make the most of his life, which is in remission form bone cancer. Both characters have come to understand the special treatment that comes with their diseases, and have manipulated people with it from time to time. While Augustus is quick to fall in love with Hazel Grace after they meet in a support group, a romantic relationship is the last thing Hazel Grace wants, worried that Augustus will become too attached and he too will be crushed when she dies.

The fault in our stars is distinctive not only for its plot, but also for its point of view. Written in first person form as Hazel Grace, this book is the first and currently only book by John Green to have a female's perspective. He says the inspiration for the tale comes form his time as a chaplain at a children's hospital. His insight into the struggles young cancer patients face is invaluable, and his compassion for the subject bleeds out of every word, without being naively optimistic or insensitively pessimistic. Hazel Grace and those around her are written with extreme care, each pulling one's emotions different ways. Green plucks your heartstrings as a harpist would the strings of his or her instrument, creating a delicately balanced symphony worthy of a Grammy.

Any book that deals with cancer will ultimately deal with death. Both Hazel Grace and Augustus have been diagnosed with their respective disease and in turn have different ideas about their lives and legacies. Calling herself a grenade, Hazel Grace wants to keep herself contained, worried about how many people she will hurt when she inevitably detonates. She looks cynically upon her legacy, convinced that within a few generations she will be effectively forgotten. In contrast, Augustus places confidence in the fact that he will be remembered by at least one person in the long run, and feels he should live the rest of his life, whether it be a day or a decade, to its fullest. They represent two opposing themes for life: A life is only important to the one who lives it, and all lives leave an indelible mark on the human race. Whichever character one sides with is a reflection of what one believes, and upon finishing The Fault in Our Stars, one will have a stronger conviction on the importance of her or his life.

It is an injustice to have to give specific reasons as to why one should read this book. One should read this book because they want to savor a work of art so carefully constructed for her or his enjoyment. Characters, plot, and theme all combine to create a spellbinding narrative. In simple terms, the Fault in Our Stars will make one question the importance of her or his life in the grand scheme of humanity. What is important today could be easily overlooked tomorrow. This book is like nothing else, and a reader will recognize this, and cherish it.

Claire Cahoon

11th grade

Siegel High School

Mr. Marlatt, AP English III

When I read The Fault in Our Stars, I found that after the first few pages, I was no longer reading a book, but experiencing a story, a story that is part of a much larger narrative. The Fault in Our Stars is a journey of two teenagers with cancer, but it could just as easily be two adults, or two small children. They could just as easily be dying of blood loss, or Alzheimer's. Despite the fact that the plot itself is one of the most compelling aspects of the read, it is not a single storyline. It is a story of dying, and through that, a story of living. Even though it contains insights into the world of cancer and a feature on inevitable oblivion, I thought more about how to live a life than I did how to die a death. Even stranger is how often I found myself unable to stop grinning at the page.

There were a host of unexpected moments woven into this morbid story, curious, romantic, and funny alike. This was probably because reading felt more like conversing with a friend, right from the first page. The characters in The Fault in Our Stars are not characters at all; they are people. In his foreword, John Green makes it quite clear that the entire book is fictional, which, at the time, seemed a bit extraneous. Wouldn't that be kind of obvious? After I started reading I saw his point. Even with prior knowledge, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the entire book had been taken word for word out of a teenage cancer patient's mouth. Not one character seems unnecessary, not one character seems two-dimensional, not one character doesn't deserve his or her own spin-off book. The story itself is potent, but simple. What makes the book complex is the intricate collection of people that appear in the life of the main character, Hazel. The best part is that they don't seem like literary inventions. They don't quite follow the rules that most "important literary works" have created for book characters. The classifications of protagonists, antagonists, static and dynamic characters all seem sort of muddled and unnecessary in regards to The Fault in Our Stars. That's not to say that you couldn't read it that way if you so wished, but it isn't a necessary part of enjoyment. Someone who reads it at face value would enjoy it just as much as someone who picks it apart. That in itself is what makes The Fault in Our Stars a wonderful book. It is what you make it. It doesn't force thought, but it allows it to flourish. A good number of the characters take death lightly, which is a refreshing view, and keeps the story from getting bogged down with heavy topics. Jokes are interspersed through grief, and grief is thrown into humorous situations, creating a rhythm that is hard to ignore. All in all, The Fault in Our Stars is a quirky kind of book with a story that appeals to anyone, teenager or adult, who likes to read, regardless of genre preference. John Green constructs a jokester's nirvana, a terminal patient's heaven, and an academic's paradise all in one masterfully constructed book, and then destroys it completely.

There are good books. There are books so good that you can't put down. And then, there are books so good that you want to put them down, because you want to think about what they're trying to say. From my experience, The Fault in Our Stars falls in the final category, and that makes it a book worth reading.

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YRead winners: Teens weigh in on 'The Fault in Our Stars'

Local high-schoolers recently had the opportunity to participate in an essay contest sponsored by the One Book committee of Read To Succeed. The students explained in writing why John Green's '